It’s the time of year when you might be starting to schedule activities for January and beyond. If you use an electronic calendar, this doesn’t affect you, but if you use a paper planner, you’d best be ordering a new one, if you haven’t already.
It really doesn’t matter what kind of system you use.The important thing is to find a system that works well for you, and to use it consistently. As Marcia Francois said in our teleclass on Everything You EVER Wanted to Know about Organizing Your Computer,
“If you’re a paper person, embrace it!”
I’m really interested in the types of planners that people use, and the ways that they use them. I’ve even been known on occasion to approach strangers at meetings and networking events to ask about their planners, if they appear to have a unique system in place. Five years ago, I conducted a survey to see if there is any connection between our personality types and the type of calendar system we choose, and the results of that survey are documented in my article Calendars and Personality Type. Use of technology has increased so much since that time that I’m sure those results will have changed quite a bit, so I’m asking you to answer the following questions in the Comments section below:
- What type of time management system do you use? (Paper or electronic, specific brand, etc.)
- What do you like about it?
- What don’t you like about it?
- What is your personality type? (If known; if you’ve never completed the MBTI, you might want to take the Jung Typology Test)
If you’re not comfortable sharing publicly, please feel free to post an anonymous comment – you’ll have to enter your email address but it won’t be displayed online.
By the way, if you haven’t decided what type of calendar to use next year, you might want to check out my articles, Your First Electronic Calendar and Choosing a Paper Planner.
1. I use a combination of paper and electronic. My ipod Touch is my calendar/planner which I sync with my iMac. I also transfer this information to a big write on/wipe off calendar in the kitchen so the whole family sees it.
My daily to do list is written on paper. I do that in a school notebook from Dollarama either the night before or first thing in the morning.
2. I like this system because I can colour coordinate events with people – each person has his/her own colour. The kids can figure things out really easily. My ipod Touch has my address book, family photos, a note pad, all my music, my workout routines, my shopping lists, etc. etc AND it fits in my purse.
3. The disadvantage is the price tag.
4. INFJ
1) mostly paper (I embrace my paper-ness) but electronic just for appointments and recurring time-sensitive stuff
2) that I can write and cross off things (I’m very tangible – I am THAT person who comes up to you and says “oooh, beautiful handbag and strokes it LOL”)
3) NOthing – it really works for me
4) ESTJ
I’m an ESTJ the same as Marcia (or at least that’s what she reminds me off, I can never remember
) Anyway I only use a paper system. One calendar on my kitchen wall. I don’t have enough commitments to warrant anything else. I like simple, I like how it’s one central system that involves my whole family. It works great and there really isn’t anything about it I don’t like about it. I think sometimes we try to complicate matters by having multiple calendars and systems and it’s just way to confusing.
Simplicity is #1 in my book
Jacki – the iPod may cost more up front, but at least you don’t have to replace it or refill it every year!
Marcia – what can I say? You are The Organizing Queen!
Laura – I agree that multiple calendars should be avoided whenever possible, and I’m impressed that you’re able to combine your own calendar with that of your family – that’s not always feasible!
1. ENTJ here; using both a paper calendar and Mobile Me.
2. My fave paper planner is by Quo Vadis, (The Minister) with gold-edges on the paper ~ got a dose of Liberace in me, what can I say?
I like how the days have vertically stacked times starting at 8 am and ending at 9 pm. Sunday is horizontal across the bottom which suits me. Nice right-hand column for writing my ABC’s of planning (A= Action, B= things to Buy, C= Calls I need to make, D= what’s for dinner everynight, E= email matters I need to tend to and F= stuff for the future.)
3. I like reoccurring events on my Mac calendar (birthdays, bill paying reminders, events for kids, etc).
I agree with Jacki Hollywood Brown ~ I like color coordinating
1. I use paper. I tried electronic once and found it finicky. (I don’t remember it well enough to say precisely what I mean by that.) I’m thinking it might be time to try electronic again, because I can see where it would have benefits, but I don’t really want to spend money on another piece of equipment. Having read your “First E-Calendar” article, I might give Google calendar a try.
2. I like the feel of the leather cover of my daytimer and I like the pictures on my wall calendar.
3. With the daytimer, I don’t like how, near the end of a month, you can’t just turn the page to the next week without having a bunch of other pages in between.
4. I think I’m INFJ but if I’ve remembered wrong, you’ll know.
Geralin – I’ve always liked the Quo Vadis line of products – so many different sizes and layouts to choose from – even more than Day Timers, I think. And I love your ABCs!
Kathy – Could you just remove those in-between pages? (and yes, you remembered correctly about your INFJ-ness)
What a fabulous post, Janet! Have you thought of doing a MBTI-related session at a future NAPO conference? (2010 is in Ohio; that’s close-ish to you!)
1) I use a Classic-size Franklin Planner with minimal backup from Entourage (basically, Outlook for Mac).
2) It’s portable, flexible and spacious. I consult my planner multiple times per day, especially when I’m out with clients, so I need something portable. I use it for scheduling clients and appointments and fitting tasks/appointments to specific days, as well as for planning writing/marketing tasks (blog post ideas, article outlines). My planner gives me the space I need to be regimented with my time, but flexible with my handwriting and outlining style.
I find there’s much more likelihood I’ll remember and internalize an appointment or task if I’ve handwritten the information. I perceive time in a visual way, and writing the appointments makes the monthly calendar into a memorable “map” of my life; the hourly appointment part of the calendar maps my day. This charting makes me feel “safe” and mentally connected to the information, as I can visualize where it “lives’ when I’m away from the planner; the electronic calendaring lacks that mind-body connection and same visual mapping of time.
While I’m proficient with my iMac has to offer, I use the computer solely as as task-reminder backup, so I don’t get so caught up in a writing session that I forget to stop 2 hours from now to have a scheduled phone conversation.
3) The only thing I don’t love is the heft. I only keep the pages I need, but it’s still weighty in my bag. (I’m sure that’s what my subconscious likes about it–it’s like a security blanket.) If I didn’t use the Franklin Planner, I’m sure I’d use PlannerPads instead, as I love their format.
4) I’m an ENTJ.
Some pages can’t be removed because there are calendar pages on them, but I could clip them together, couldn’t I. (Duh.)
However, reading other comments here does make me think I would make good use of large spaces than my current daytimer. And that I would be wise not to have too many things on my actual computer to distract me from my writing.
Happy planning!
Julie – thanks for your very detailed answer (as always!)
Kathy – if you haven’t already bought your 2009 refill, maybe you should get the 1 page per day or 2 page per day version instead of 1 week per page.
I will do that. A new calendar look for the new year in our new house – that’ll feel good!
One thing to remember with these formats is that you won’t be able to fit the whole year in your binder (nor would you want to carry all that around with you) so you will likely just keep this month, last month, and next month with you, doing a rotation each month. Those month at a glance dividers come in very handy for the months you don’t have with you.
Another excellent tip, Janet, as always. Thanks.
I used to use a Palm (early version) and then after three years of faithful service, it died. I replaced it with another PDA (Dell Axim pocket PC platform). I liked it too, but then I broke it about a year after getting it, and I never replaced it.
I went back to paper. I use a simple version of the Franklin Covey planner.
~Monica
Monica, I don’t blame you for not replacing your 2nd PDA – it just gets too expensive, especially if you can manage just fine with a paper planner.